While General Motors is grappling with its confirmed refusal to recall 1.6 million small cars with defective ignition switches that suddenly shut off and/or disable the airbag system during accidents, similar tough questions can be directed at the Department of Transportation’s safety arm, NHTSA, about why it ignored the deadly problem – at least 13 alleged deaths and 31 accidents – for so long.
NHTSA is now finally investigating GM’s conduct after GM belatedly issued two this year, but has so far been silent about its own conduct in the safety defect. GM has until 3 April to respond to a 27-page order the agency issued on 4 March.
GM also faces possible criminal charge, although NHTSA has never taken this step over a botched U.S. safety matter. The agency has been accused of being the “lap dog” of the auto industry during Congressional hearings into the sordid Toyota matter, where ex Toyota employees working for NHTSA in revolving-door Washington inhibited or quashed agency investigations.
The recalled vehicles are small cars where an airbag is perhaps more important during a crash than on larger ones, including Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 cars from the 2005-2007 model years, Saturn Ion compact sedans from 2003-2007, as well as 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR SUVs and Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky sports cars sold in North America. Globally more cars outside of NHTSA’s authority are involved.
In AutoInformed’s view, the circumstances cries out for an independent investigation and an independent prosecutor dealing with both involved parties, one that is immune to political maneuvering and internal politics at NHTSA and GM.
There is a GM internal investigation headed by new CEO Mary Barra at GM, but reasonable people would be justifiably skeptical about whether any senior executive – including Mark Reuss who was running North America will ever be called to account.
No such investigation exist at NHTSA. As to NHTSA’s ability to audit itself, especially given its conduct in the Toyota stuck accelerator pedal disaster, we have little confidence that the truth will come out.
In a devastating report published yesterday in The New York Times, federal safety regulators received more than 260 complaints during the last 11 years about the problem on the now recalled vehicles – going back to February of 2003 – and did nothing.
It is time to set the record straight.
See:
- NHTSA Opens Investigation into GM Ignition Switch Recall Delay. 13 Deaths Attributed to Defective Design So Far
- BMW Follows Toyota by Paying $3 Million Fine for not Reporting Known Safety Defects within Five Days to NHTSA
- Ford to Pay Record $17.35 Million NHTSA Fine on Recall
Using internal NHTSA Death Inquiry Records, the Center for Auto Safety is demanding an independent investigation of NHTSA’s failure to obtain a recall by 2007. CAS found that NHTSA sent Death Inquiries on 17 of 19 Cobalt and Ion death claims reported by GM under the Early Warning Reporting* system between 2004 and 2007. Two of the Death Inquiries were on Special Crash Investigations into 2005 Cobalts done in 2006-07 that identified the defect but on which NHTSA failed to act.
CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow claims,” General Motors’ 9 year delayed recall of 2005-07 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2003-07 Saturn Ions and 5 other models reveals a complete failure of the recall system that cost at 1east 13 people their lives. While GM bears complete responsibility for failing to recall these vehicles by 2005, when it knew what the defect was and how to fix it, NHTSA has responsibility for failing to order a recall by early 2007, when it knew what the defect was and how to fix it.
“Just as GM President Mary Barra has commissioned an independent investigation of why GM did not do the recall and remedy the ignition airbag defect at least 9 years earlier, there needs to be a similar independent investigation of NHTSA’s failure to act. People died and the agency shares responsibility for their deaths with GM.”